Is it getting warm in here?
Good news!
Arctic ice has shrunk to its smallest on record, according to
satellite images and the Northwest Passage that explorers once
sought may soon become available. There already exists an ice-free
passage along northern Canada, Alaska and Greenland and it’s still
shrinking.
Is it getting warm in here?
Good news!
Arctic ice has shrunk to its smallest on record, according to satellite images and the Northwest Passage that explorers once sought may soon become available. There already exists an ice-free passage along northern Canada, Alaska and Greenland and it’s still shrinking.
That opens access to new resources – offshore oil platforms at the North Pole, anyone? And it may mean that ships passing from Asia to Europe could save thousands of miles. Better book your cruises now.
The images showing the disappearing ice come courtesy of the European Space Agency, according to a report from the Associated Press. What they depict is a 1 million square mile chunk of ice. While that’s still a whole lot of cold, the previous low was 1.5 million square miles, way back in 2005.
An open sea route could mean less pollution, of course. Is anyone missing the irony here?
We’ve created enough pollution to melt the polar ice cap – the United Nations panel on climate change estimates that the Arctic could be almost free of ice by the summer of 2070 – that we can save energy by using new shipping routes!
It’s harder and harder to aver that global warming is a conspiracy hatched by greedy scientists and self-serving liberals, but some people will persist in trying.
Why should any of us care about the Arctic in San Benito County? The loss of the polar ice cap could change ocean currents. Sea levels would rise dramatically. Don’t look for polar bears at a zoo near you.
If the Atlantic’s Gulf Stream stops, fisheries will collapse. London’s climate in winter would likely match that of Moscow. The north Pacific would suffer the same fate.
For the birds
While we ponder that enormous news, here’s something a little brighter.
The Monterey Bay Birding Festival is under way today through Sunday. Staging at the Red Roof Inn, just off Hwy. 1 in Watsonville, the event has quickly grown to one of national significance, attracting hundreds of people for a weekend of talks, and – mostly – rambles to some of the area’s most productive habitats.
Our region is one of the centers of the birding universe. It’s possible to chalk up more than 400 species without leaving Monterey County, and several people have already done that.
The festival reaches into San Benito County. I’ll lead one Saturday that covers the east side of Pinnacles. That starts at 6:30 a.m. at the Red Roof Inn. Bring coffee.
A trip out onto Monterey Bay is on the agenda. And land-based trips go to dozens of locations.
A trip roster and biographies of leaders are available on the Web at www.montereybaybirding.org.
Participants can register for trips through that site, and a small fee is charged for each.
So who might want to go? Hunters understand the experience of stalking an animal and “bagging one.” Birding fulfills much of the same impulse, offering a chance to capture something without actually bringing anything more than memories home.
People who like filling the backyard feeders but just don’t know how to figure out what they’re looking at have the opportunity to join beginners’ outings.
Anyone who wants to know more about the place we live would be a candidate.
It’s hard to miss Hollister’s biker festival. But it’s easy to overlook a bunch of folks dressed in muted colors who disperse at dawn.
Memories – and a little bit of a sunburn – are almost guaranteed.
